Happily ever after

Monday

Jan 21, 2013 at 12:01 AMJan 21, 2013 at 3:26 PM

Thomas DeLoache

When my daughters were small one of their favorite movies was the “Princess Diaries” starring Anne Hathaway. One Saturday I begrudgingly took them to the theater. I felt it was my fatherly duty though it did not seem like the kind of movie that would interest me.

Hathaway’s character is a dorky teenager who is unattractive, awkward ,and not very popular. The twist occurs when she discovers that she is actually destined to be a princess in a foreign country due to her birthright. Predictably, she gets a makeover transforming the dorky teen into the Anne Hathaway we all now know. The story revolves around her evolving into a poised young lady and beautiful princess while never letting go of her core beliefs. Even when rising above her mocking peers, she never loses grace and is just as beautiful on the inside as the out.

I was impressed with the movie and thought what a good example for my children. And, she lived happily ever after...

Fast forward approximately 10 years. “Les Miserables” is playing at Christmas. I am told it’s a musical starring several well known actors as well as Anne Hathaway. Just like 10 years before, I’m not all that enthused but decide to give it a try.

Lucky for me. Anne Hathaway’s character is a beautiful but not so glamorous factory worker. She is wrongly accused of misdeeds at work and consequently loses her job. Her sole interest is to provide for her daughter who is only five. Apparently a single mother, the child’s fate is totally at the mercy of whatever she can provide. Abruptly tossed onto the street, she is forced to make hard decisions. With no money and no skills, reality gives way to desperation.

After pursuing every available option, she turns to prostitution. To support her child she even cuts her beautiful hair for a small amount of money. The weeks go by. Thin, pale, and sickly, she is shunned by the carriage trade and looked upon as a low miserable person. The lowest of the low, one might say. Penniless, exhausted, and brutalized, we are treated to Ms. Hathaway singing. Against a backdrop of tattered circumstance, she performs the most uplifting song in the story.

A far cry from the beautiful Anne Hathaway we are so used to, she stands blemished in bad lighting showing every imperfection that a troubled life reveals. Her skin is blotched. She is tired, gaunt and frail, and with her long black hair replaced by a poorly shaven scalp, the scene is almost too difficult to watch. Uncomfortable as the audience may be, her character seems at peace singing beautifully and proudly.

We spend so much time surrounding ourselves with what we think will make us beautiful, important, and happy. Our cars, our houses, Jewelry and clothes. Titles at work and status in community. Obsessed with reversing aging, washboard abs, perfect children, and for our sports team to always win. We spend lifetimes accumulating and adorning ourselves with all we can reach for. Surely this is the path to greatness and living happily ever after.

Of the most compelling reasons we go to the movies, one has to be the happy ending. Good always triumphs. Evil is turned away. Superman gets Lex Luthor and “the mean girls” get study hall. Just like “Princess Diaries,” things always work out fine in film.

Of course, real life is far less predictable. Some appear to succeed effortlessly while others strive heroically only to suffer pain and disappointment.

“Les Miserables” deals with the latter. While Hathaway’s character is literally dying in the street, the fortunate rumble by in warm horse drawn carriages unwilling to even look down. While it is a pitiful scene, it also becomes apparent that we don’t need to feel sorry for her. Amidst intolerable anguish, her physical plight is transcended as she gazes upward with purpose. Knowing death is eminent, fulfillment and peace take over as she sacrifices everything for her daughter.

Beauty, youth, money. Our accomplishments and grown up toys. Strapped tightly to our back, we guard our treasures until we mature enough to occasionally put them down. And sometimes the wisdom to even set them aside as merely obstacles to attaining peace. Despite our longing for the happy ever after, true art pulls back the curtain on real life’s struggles. “Les Miserables” states boldly that any of us can rise or fall and that our fate in this life is largely out of our control.

Like a reverse Princess Diaries, Hathaway’s character deteriorates until she loses everything including her life. Ironically, she no longer seems sad but happy; no longer regretful but joyful. Reduced to pure spirit, nothing hinders the connection she makes with heaven as God smiles back steadying his newest angel. Happily ever after is not only possible but also our destiny. Getting there just may be a lot simpler than we thought …